First update in what will probably be a series about my experience with the Note.

I've only used it for about 10 hours total so far.

Impressions:

Size is big as advertised. This was the entire reason I wanted it. I have big hands, so there is no detractor for use there, even one-handed use. Weight is light, doesn't tire in one hand. In short, it hits that sweet spot I was hoping it would between smartphone and tablet.

I call it a Phablet

The browser is fast (thanks to the dual core processor no doubt) and has all the features I expected. Nice to NOT have a page refresh when returning to it via back/forward arrows or changing browser screens. This is what I hate most about iOS

I am using K9 mail, which I already liked.

I've played around a bit with the pen. Although good, I won't use it for handwriting recognition, but certainly like taking screenshots that I can annotate.

I'm going to continue for a week to evaluate battery life, as another plus is the large capacity battery, but the sceen will probably offset that

After I'm done with testing, my next steps will be to secure it by rooting and installing a custom ROM.

If you have questions about the Note, put them in the comments and I'll see if I can answer anything relevant.